It is well-known than that consumers will pay more money for computers and other electronic devices which record information if such devices have increased storage capacity. Quite simply, all other things being equal, a consumer will pay more for an electronic device that has a 5 GB hard disk drive than for an equivalent electronic device which has a 2 GB hard disk drive.
Unfortunately, if the user initially chooses to purchase the 2 GB hard disk drive electronic device and later decides that additional storage capacity is required, the user is typically required to either: (1) wholly replace the electronic device; (2) wholly replace the original disk drive with a disk drive having larger capacity; or (3) add an additional disk drive if the electronic device supports more than one disk drive.
Obviously, both options 1 and 2 above lead to significant additional expense for the user. Even option 3 leads to additional expense but also, like option 2, necessitates physically changing the configuration of the electronic device. Of course, physically changing the configuration may require special skills and for many consumers, therefore, requires taking the electronic device to a technician for the upgrade.
It would be useful if an improved method and apparatus existed for allowing a field upgrades of the storage capacity of electronic devices which record information. Such devices are referred to collectively herein as recording devices. For purposes of the present application, the term recording device includes computers and other electronic devices such as, by way of example, video data recorders such as the ReplayTV video data recorder that is available from Replay Networks, Inc. of Mountain View Calif.
A method and apparatus providing for field upgrade of storage capacity in a recording device is disclosed. The recording device is manufactured with a storage unit having a storage capacity of X (where X may be, for example, 5 GB). Access to the full storage capacity of the storage unit is limited at the time of manufacture and a user of the device may upgrade the device to gain access to additional storage capacity of the storage unit.